Tool for expanding and contracting split wheel rims



Oct. 16 1923. 1,471,066

E. T. RUsH'roN ET AL TOOL'` FOR EKPANDING AND CONTRACTING SPLIT WHEEL RIMS Filed June 1o, 1919 huts-sheet 1 i '7// 1 Ihr' ,HIM

INVENToRs.;

E. T. RUSHTON ET AL TOOL FOR EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING SPLIT WHEEL RIMS 2 Sheets-Shut 2 .Oct 16 1923-.`

Filed June l0, 1919 INVENTORS:

CII

Patented Got. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER T. BUSHTON ND BENI S. BERRY. OE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG'NORS TO HERCULES PRODUCTS COIJIPANY. GE ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

TOOL FOR EXPANDING- ND CONTRACTING- SPLIT VHEEL RIMS.

Application filed June 10, 1919. Serial No. 303,152.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, Emana T. lUsnroN and BENI S. BERRY, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of lios Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tools for Expanding and Contracting Split lllheel Rims, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a tool for ei:- panding and contracting split wheel rims of the type now commonlyA employed on the wheels of autovehicles. f

It is the object of this invention to provide a tool of the above character. so constructed that a single tool may be readily adjusted to engage split wheel rims of various sizes and which when engaged with the rim may be employed both in contracting and eXw panding the rim without disengagement therefrom.

Another object is to provide a combined wheel-rim expanding and contracting tool embodying an operating means by which the high 'resistance to expanding and contracting movement of stiff wheel-rims may be readily overcome and the rim shruns or distended with comparative ease so as to facilitate the application and removal of tires.

.Another object is to provide means whereby the rim may be held in various states of contraction or expansion and readily carried aboutwh'en so held and which when the rim is contracted will permit the rim being lifted in or out of a tire.

A further object is to provide a tool Yof the above type embodying relatively reciprocal expanding and contracting members adapted to be retracted step by step in contracting the rim in opposition to the tension thereof.

Other objects will appear hereinafter:

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings showing the preferred embodiment thereof, in which;

Figure l is a view of the tool as seen in side elevation, a portion of the handle being broken away.

Figure 2 is a detailV in section and ele vation as seen on theline of 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the same.

`Figure l is a detail and side elevation with parts broken away illustrating the construction and operation of the double acting operating dog.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the tool.

Figure 6 is a plan view illustrating the manner of applying the tool to a. wheelrim in ln'cakiug the rim aud showing ,in dotted lines the position of the arms in shrinking or expanding the rim.

More specifically 6 indicates a sleeve o f rectangular cross section having a longitudinal rectangular bore to slidably receive and form a guide for a flat bar 7 which projects through the sleeve and extends beyond tho'ends thereof.

The upper edge of the bar, is formed with square ratchet teeth S, and mounted on the y and is adapted to be swung upwardly through the yoke and to extend either forwadly or rearwardly of the lever (formed'by thc yoke and handle) into engagement with the bar whereby the latter may be moved longitudinally in either' direction relative to the sleeve .on rocking the lever.

The pivotal point l5, of the dog is disposed as close to thev upper edge of the bar as is possible and yet permit movement of the lever a sufficient distance to advance the bar a distance substantially corresponding to. or slightly greater than the spacing-of the ratchet teeth which in practice has been found to be most desirable atabout one inchj preferably disposed at about one and three eigliths inches from the pivot 15 which spacing. with a handle -length of about eighteen inches provides suicient leverage The pivotal mounting 16 of the lever is ment with the teethv or notches or `pair oiI arms 2O are pivotallv mounted;

the arms heine: adapted te l' spread apart as .shown in Figure. M or extended close t( l ther as shown in ,Tigure Gl The outer ends t the arii'is are 'termed with hooks 22 adapted to entend over L engage the edge os'' a wheel rim andro ned on each arm is a shoulder ,C spaced 'troni the hook and adapted to irland interiorlv of the rini and to co--operz` ,e with the s1 noul der lS in expanding` rim.

An important feature ot this invention resides in a construction wl mav he automatically in:

which is here shown as coi Q4 'termed on the under eine oi' ie at iacent to pr-f'ot-pin l5 and torward ot the vertical center et the pivot-pin. This hiiinn is adapted to he moved into Contact with the upper edge of the har so that on continuiiig; movement oil the lever after the huinp is brought into contact with the har an upward pressure will he exerted on the dog to lift the latter out or" engagement with the bar as indicated in dotted lines in i5 4.

In the operation ot the invention, the tool is applied to a split rim with the hook 17 engaging;r the rim 25 at a point approxiniatelifv diaineti'icalb7 opposite the split F26 in the rim and the hooks on the arms Q0 are engaged with the rini adjacent to the split portion thereof. ln breaking the rini both the arms 20 are engaged with the rim on one side of the split 2G as shown in Figure 6 whereupon the doe i/l and pawl l0 being positioned to extend on the side et the levertoward the arms- 20, as shown in Fig. l, the lever is then retracted to engage the dosr with one of the Vteeth on the har. Downward pressure on the lever will Vthen act to advance the har and sleeve relative to each other thus exer `ing an inward pull on the riin to break saine. One oil the hooks is then shifted to position hook on each side of the split as shown in dott-d lines in Figure 6; the arms then divereino as shown infFig. 3. The lever is then i' cted and the dop; engaged with ,er tooth and again depressed `to ope. as above .in

shrinkinu or contra ctino the rinim The iawl n #D l inse l0 riding into engagement with the teeth holds the riin against expansion and pern'iitsa series of the contractin' operations no enniioyed to shrink the rim step by step. Usually two or three hites are siiiiiit to shrink the rim to such extentihat ilY ma ie hired clear oit or inserted in a tire. Then it is desired to release the rini and permit it to expand to normal the lever is pressed downwardly to advance the liar such 'distance that the pawl lO may he disengaged l and reversed in position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. Illhe lever then retracted which permits the rim to expand and in so doing exert opposite pull.; on the har and sleeve. The lever is retracted .auch distance as to torce the dog out ot eneigragjcinent with the har as betere described; the upward pull on the lever adjacent to the end oi its stroke exerting a downward pressure on the pivoted portion off the dog; when the hump seats on the upper edpe ot the hai'. The hump will then serve as a tiilcrniii on which the dop; will hc rocked lever fashion and drawn out et engagement with the hai'. e rim will then he lpei-mitied to exliand to its normal position and in so doingr will carry the har and sleeve therewith. By this means the riiii may he restored to normal hv a single retractei movement o'i' the operatinglever, irrespective oil the .iiiini'her ot steps employed in contractingV the rim.

lt frequently ocf'urs on the withdrawal o the dog` troni enna gement with the har as :ih-ove described that sulicient impulse will he imparted to the dog as to cause it to swing upward and over so as to extend from the opposite side oit the lever as indicated in dotted lines in Fig'. l, so as to position it in readiness for the next operation in expand ing the rim. However this reversal off the dogl he not automatically effected it may be readily accomplished manually. In expand ing the rim the dog being reversed the opei'atinig` lever is lowered to bring' the dei;` into engagement with a tooth so that on upward movementA ot the lever the sleeve and har will he moved outwardlT causing the/shoulders 18 and Q3 to bear against the inner portion ot the rim in opposite direction to eX- pand the latter. Ordinarili7 one operation oi' the lever will advance the harand sleeve relative to each other a sutiicient distance to Yhill;7 expand the rim hut in the event several steps are necessary the reversed pawl 10 will engage the har to permit a number of Y bites being taken.

From the foregoingr it will heseen that the three operations required in detaching and Vhilst` the invention has been illustrated and described in its specii'ic` embodiment various changes in the details oi construction and various modilications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

l. In a tool for expanding and contracting split wheel rims, a sleeve, a toothed bar slidable therein, a pawl carried by said sleeve engageable with the teeth 0n the bar, wheel rim engaging means on said sleeve and bar, a lever pivoted on said sleeve, and a reversible dog carried by said lever adapted to be operatively engaged directly with the teeth on the bar from opposite sides of the lever, whereby on operation of the lever the bar may be advanced step by step in either direction.

2. In a tool for expanding and contracting split wheel rims, a sleeve, a bar slidable therein, rectangular teeth on said bar, a pawl carried by said sleeve engageable with the teeth on the bar, means on said bar and sleeve for engaging both the inner and the outer peripheries of a wheel rim, a lever pivoted on said sleeve, and a reversible dog carried by said lever and operatively engageable directly with the teeth on the bar from either side of the lever, whereby on operation of the lever the bar may be advanced step b step in either direction.

3. In a tool7 for expanding and contracting split wheel rims, a pair of members adapted to be extended or retracted relative to each other, a pair of arms pivotally carried on one of said members, a hook on each of said arms and on the other member adapted to project over the edge of and engage the outer periphery of a wheel rim to effect a three point engagement therewith, a shoulder on each of said arms and said other member spaced from the hook thereon to project interior-ly of a wheel rim and effect a three point engagement therewith when the members are extended relative to each other in expanding the rim, a lever pivoted on one of said members, a dog on said lever engageable with the other meinber whereby said members may be extended or retracted Step by step, and a pawl coop erating between said members adapted to hold them against movement relative to each other.

4. A tool for expanding and contracting split wheel rims comprising al sleeve, a fiat bar, slidable longitudinally in said sleeve, said bar formed with Square rack teeth on one edge thereof, a. lever having a yoke extending astride said sleeve and bar pivoted on the sleeve, a reversible dog pivoted in said yoke above the rack teeth and adapted to be positioned to extend from either oi' opposite sides of said lever into direct operative engagement with the rack teeth whereby on operation of the lever the bar may be advanced step by step in either direction, a pawl on the sleeve engageable with the rack teeth on the bar, and wheel rim engaging means on said sleeve and bar whereby either a push or pull may be effected on said rim on operation of the lever.

ELMER T. RUSHTON. RENI S. BERRY. 

